The use of antimicrobial agents (e.g., antibiotics, antiseptics) plays an important part in current medical therapy. This is particularly true in the fields of dermatology as well as skin and wound antisepsis, where the most effective course of treatment for skin or mucous membranes (e.g., as in the nasal cavities and in particular the anterior nares), which are afflicted with bacterial, fungal, or viral infections or lesions, frequently includes the use of a topical antimicrobial agent. For decades medicine has relied primarily upon antibiotics to fight systemic as well as topical infections. For example, bacitracin, neomycin sulfate, polymyxin B sulfate, gentamicin, framycetin-gramicidin, lysostaphin, methicillin, rifampin, tobramycin, nystatin, mupirocin, and combinations thereof, as well as many others, have been used with varying success.
Antibiotics are generally effective at very low levels and are often safe with very few, if any, side effects. Often antibiotics have little or no toxicity to mammalian cells. Thus, they may not retard, and can even enhance, wound healing. Antibiotics are generally of a narrow spectrum of antimicrobial activity. Furthermore, they often act on very specific sites in cell membranes or on very specific metabolic pathways. This can tend to make it relatively easy for bacteria to develop resistance to the antibiotic(s) (i.e., the genetically acquired ability to tolerate much higher concentrations of antibiotic) either through natural selection, transmission of plasmids encoding resistance, mutation, or by other means.
For example, there are multiple reports of resistance to mupirocin when used as a nasal decolonizing agent. Resistance rates have been reported as high as 25% and even as high as 50% (see, for example, E. Perez-Roth et al., Diag. Micro. Infect. Dis., 43:123-128 (2002) and H. Watanabe et al., J. Clin. Micro., 39(10): 3775-3777 (2001)). Even though presurgical decolonization of the anterior nares using mupirocin has been shown to decrease the risk of surgical site infection by as much as 2 to 10 times (T. Perl et al., Ann. Pharmacother., 32:S7-S16 (1998)), the high resistance rates to this antibiotic make it unsuitable for routine use. Not only does resistance eliminate the ability of a medication to treat an affliction, but it can also put the patient at further risk, especially if the antibiotic is one that is routinely used systemically.
Antiseptics, on the other hand, tend to have broader spectrum of antimicrobial activity and often act by nonspecific means such as disruption of cell membranes, oxidation of cellular components, denaturation of proteins, etc. This nonspecific activity makes it difficult for resistance to develop to antiseptics. For example, there are very few reports of true resistance to antiseptics such as iodine, lower alcohols (ethanol, propanol, etc.), chlorhexidine, quaternary amine surfactants, chlorinated phenols, and the like. These compounds, however, need to be used at concentrations that often result in irritation or tissue damage, especially if applied repeatedly. Furthermore, unlike antibiotics, many antiseptics are not active in the presence of high levels of organic compounds. For example, formulations containing iodine or quaternary ammonium compounds have been reported to be inactivated by the presence of organic matter such as that in nasal or vaginal secretions, and perhaps even on skin.
Many antiseptic compounds are viewed as irritants. For example, compositions containing iodine and/or chlorhexidine have been reported to cause skin irritation. Mucosal tissues, such as the anterior nares, nasal, and esophageal cavities, which can have a high level of microbial colonization in certain otherwise healthy individuals, as well as individuals with infectious diseases such as chronic sinusitis, may be particularly sensitive to irritation. Additionally, due to the irritating nature many of these compounds may be unsuitable for application to irritated or infected dermal tissue to treat skin conditions, such as lesions from impetigo and shingles.
Also, for certain applications, especially in the nose and mouth, it is particularly desirable for the compositions to have little or no color, little or no odor, and an acceptable taste. This is not the case for many antiseptics such as iodine and iodophors, which have an orange to brown color and a definite odor.
Some conventional antimicrobial compositions have used various carboxylic acids or fatty acids for the suppression of fungi, bacteria, molds, and the like. These compositions vary widely in their efficacy, stability, and levels of persistence. Plus, they possess an even wider variety of side effects. For example, many of these materials are viewed as irritants, particularly the C8-C12 fatty acids. This is particularly true for sensitive mucosal tissues, such as the anterior nares and nasal cavities, which can have a generally high level of microbial colonization in certain otherwise healthy individuals, as well as individuals with infectious diseases such as chronic siniusitis. Additionally, due to the irritating nature many of these agents would be unsuitable for application to irritated or infected dermal tissue such as lesions from impetigo and shingles or sensitive tissues such as the nasal cavities and especially the anterior nares.
Also, many conventional antimicrobial compositions are too low in viscosity and/or too hydrophilic in nature to maintain sufficient substantivity and persistence to provide sufficient antimicrobial activity on moist tissue, such as the anterior nares or open, exuding, or infected lesions, and the like.
Thus, there is still a need for additional antimicrobial compositions.